Although Greece is mainly associated with images of sunkissed islands and summer holidays, there is much natural beauty on the mainland as well as a limitless number of activities during the months of October to March. The Zaghoria mountain range is extremely wild and rocky, and hauntingly beautiful. There are many villages where one can walk or even do some serious trekking. Even further north towards Thessaloniki you can visit the lake districts or Nymphaio, a village with a glorious past full of recently restored mansions as well as great mountains for hiking, skiing, and horseback riding. North of central Greece is the second largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki. Since international flights arrive and depart from Thessaloniki, it makes it a perfect point to begin or depart from Greece, because there are also many connections to the islands including Crete, Rhodes and Santorini.